Prix Italia 2024
Prix Italia, an international competition organized by Rai that awarded the best in radio, television, and multimedia production, returns from October 1 to October 4 to Turin, Italy. The Festival will be in full swing, with 250 entries competing, and more than 80 broadcasters from around the world taking part, all vying for the 76th Prix Italia awards in the Radio-Podcast, TV, and Digital categories.
"Diversity, experimentation, and co-production projects," commented Prix Italia Secretary Chiara Longo Bifano, "remain key elements of this selection, which is rich in high-level proposals." The jurors will choose the winners after open discussions with producers, directors, and key figures from the nominated projects. This selection of finalists for the Prix Italia 2024 not only demonstrates the diversity of formats and stories that can be told through radio, television, and digital media but also showcases the ability of international producers to continually push creative boundaries to address contemporary and universal themes."
Rai is competing with two projects: in TV Performing Arts, the production "Banksy e la ragazza del Bataclan" stands out, an artwork blending art, culture, and current events. In the TV Documentary category, "Pericolosamente vicini – Vivere con gli orsi" offers a unique perspective on the coexistence of humans and bears.
Radio & Podcast Drama presents works that address intense and universal themes. Austria's "Blasse Stunden/Blijedi sati" (ORF) and Finland's "Medeas dotter" (YLE) carry on the tradition of European radio storytelling with emotional depth and narrative complexity. The BBC's "Voices from the End of the World" offers an immersive auditory experience, exploring apocalyptic themes.
For the Radio & Podcast Documentary and Reportage category, Denmark and Sweden offer engaging and intimate narratives with "Kidnappet" (DR) and "Noahs nya pappor" (SVERIGES RADIO), while the BBC delves into investigative reporting with "To Catch a Scorpion", showcasing the enduring strength of British radio journalism.
In TV Performing Arts, Germany's powerful "Beethovens Neun – Ode an die Menschlichkeit" (ZDF) celebrates human resilience, while the BBC reinterprets television drama in "Peaky Blinders: Rambert’s The Redemption of Thomas Shelby" with a unique choreographic approach.
The TV Drama section highlights profound and contemporary stories, such as France Télévisions' "Sambre", a story promising emotional intensity, RTVE's "La ley del mar", which reflects on themes of justice and morality, and the UK’s "Mr Bates vs The Post Office" (ITV), based on real events, adding a dimension of historical authenticity.
In the TV Documentary category, France Télévisions' "Nous, jeunesse(s) d'Iran" sheds light on the challenges faced by Iranian youth. ITV contributes with "Ukraine's War: The Other Side", a documentary exploring lesser-known perspectives of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Digital categories feature a variety of creative and innovative approaches. Digital Factual includes France Télévisions' "Mascus, les hommes qui détestent les femmes", Sweden's SVT "Stalker", and the Netherlands' "DIT is jouw verhaal" (NPO), all examples of interactive and engaging digital storytelling.
Digital Fiction and Digital Interactive push the boundaries of narrative with projects like the Czech Republic's "No Big Deal" (ČT), Finland's "Mysteerijuna – Pakopeli raiteilla" (YLE), Poland's "Procesy" (TVP), Spain's "Dieciocho" (RTVE), the Netherlands' "De Jurk en het Scheepswrak" (NPO), and "Lab Orquesta – Musica artificial para humanos" (RTVE), which use digital platforms to create new narrative experiences.
In addition to the main categories, the Prix Italia – IFAD – Copeam Special Prize will also be awarded, recognizing projects focused on innovation and sustainability. Among the finalists are: Algeria's EPTV "Together… We Innovate", a work highlighting collective innovative solutions, France Télévisions' "Gaspillage alimentaire, n’en jetez plus!", exploring food recycling and waste reduction, and Germany's ZDF "Echtes Fleisch ohne Tier – Die Zukunft schmeckt anders", which reflects on the future of sustainable food production with synthetic meat.